Beverage can or equivalent openable beverage container

ABSTRACT

A beverage can (1) or an equivalent openable beverage container which comprises a bottom part, a cylindrical side part and an annular cover structure (3), whereby said side part is attached to the cover structure (3) either via a reducing collar (2) formed at the upper end of the side part or without a reducing collar and said cover structure (3) includes an openable hole (6) for pouring the contents out of the can or for drinking the contents from said can directly. An inwards-directed impression (7) has been formed in the reducing collar (2) or the top edge of the cylindrical part of the beverage can (1) immediately at the point of the hole (6) in the cover structure (3) without substantially damaging the cover structure (3) to form in the beverage can (1) both a pouring spout and a shape improving the drinking event.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a beverage can or an equivalent openable beverage container which comprises a bottom part, a cylindrical side part and an annular cover structure, whereby said side part is attached to the cover structure either via a reducing collar formed at the upper end of the side part or without a reducing collar and said cover structure includes an openable hole for pouring the contents out of the can or for drinking the contents from said can directly.

Previously is known from international published application WO2010/114593 an aluminium container for beverages the top part of which includes a cover structure comprising a section openable by pulling which forms a hole for pouring or drinking. The cover structure contains an annular edge part which has been bent upwards such that the actual cover plane remains below it. This annular edge part comprises two sections which have not been bent upwards or which have been bent only a little. These sections are located opposite in relation to each other. The purpose of the first section is to facilitate bringing the user's finger under the pull tab and, thus, the section is at the point of the pull tab. The second section is at the point of the hole created in the cover structure when opening the can. This second section, which includes no edge part, operates as a pouring spout, whereby it directs the outpouring of the beverage at this particular point. At the same time, this section also directs the outpouring of the beverage when drinking directly from the can.

In the invention described above, the impression-like sections are manufactured to the annular edge directed upwards from the cover structure by making it lower only partially. From this follows that the can cannot be totally emptied, even by turning it upside down. When drinking directly from the can, such lowering of the edge part somewhat directs the pass of the beverage.

However, WO specification 2010/114593 describes such a metal can the cover and cylindrical part of which are of uniform metal structure. It is thus very probable that manufacturing such a can successfully is very questionable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention in a novel way introduces particularly an impression created in the collar part or the top edge of the cylindrical part of a metal beverage can which impression substantially improves the emptying of the can and which creates the drinker's lower lip a particularly suitable countersurface when drinking directly from the can. These improvements are provided with a new invention which is characterized by forming an inwards-directed impression in a reducing collar or a top edge of the cylindrical part of the beverage can immediately at the point of the hole in the cover structure without substantially damaging the cover structure to form in the beverage can both a pouring spout and a shape improving the drinking event. Other embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

It is easy to provide the impression according to the invention in the collar part of the metal beverage can either before or after the filling of the can. The impression according to the invention remains in the metal collar part or the top edge of the cylindrical part in its shaped form and will not come back. Directing the impression towards the inside of the beverage can removes almost perfectly the dents and hollows usually remaining in the collar part which usually hold some amount of liquid in them when emptying the can.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 shows an inclined view of a beverage can according to the invention. FIG. 2 shows a top view of the beverage can according to FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a side view of the beverage can according to FIG. 1. FIG. 4 shows a partial section of the beverage can according to FIG. 3 along line AA.

FIG. 1 shows a metal beverage can 1 which comprises a cylindrical side part, a bottom and a cover structure 3. In this embodiment, the cover structure 3 attaches to the cylindrical part via a reducing collar part 2. The can example includes a part of the cover which can be torn off and which forms a tearable part 5 by opening a hole 6. Around the planar cover structure 3 circulates an annular attachment part 4 which attaches the cover structure 3 tightly to the collar part 2 and, at the same time, the whole beverage can 1 when closing the can.

An impression 7 according to the invention has been formed in the collar part 2 at the point of the hole 7 created when opening the beverage can 1. The inwards-directed impression 7 can be created in several ways. The impression 7 can be provided e.g. by a pressing tool by inserting a counterpart suitable for the purpose inside the can. Then, the cover structure 3 is not yet in its place. It is also preferable to provide a substantially vertical section in the impression 7 which section starts downwards from the edge part 4. In a case, this section can even be a little inwards descending from the vertical direction. Furthermore, the impression 7 is providable from the edge part 4 by compression or by aiming a punch to it. In this case, the edge part 4 does not exactly change its shape, but the impression 7 buckles due to these directions into a desired impression shape. Both the compression motion and the punch must be directed in exactly the correct direction in the solutions according to these methods. The metal raw material of the beverage can, most often aluminium, endures the shaping according to the invention. Similarly when forming the impression 7 after the filling of the beverage can, the edge part 4 and the attachment included in it have held their tightness and substantially their shape in test situations.

The impression 7 forms a pouring spout or an equivalent passage directing the beverage out of the hole 6 in the beverage can 1 such that the beverage can 1 will easily empty almost perfectly even before it has been turned totally around. The impression 7 also directs the drinker's lower lip suitably under the annular part 4 when drinking directly from the can and, thus, possible dripping of the beverage from the sides is avoided.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a conventional beverage can. The impression 7 has been formed in the collar part 2 at the point of the hole 6. FIG. 3 shows a side view of the same beverage can 1, whereby it is possible to see that the impression starts immediately downwards from the annular part 4.

FIG. 4 shows a section AA of the top part of the beverage can 1. The section line passes downwards from the centre of the impression 7. FIG. 4 shows a vertical section of the impression 7 starting downwards from the edge part 4 which section is in this example substantially vertical. Its direction can obviously vary a bit as either descending inwards or descending slightly outwards. The lower edge of the impression 7 again bends smoothly towards the shape of the collar part 2 attaching to it. FIG. 4 shows as an example that the section of the impression 7 starting downwards from the edge part 4 has the same distance R from the centre line L of the beverage can 1 as the annular edge part 4. This is an advantageous and preferable embodiment for the impression 7 according to the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment in which the cover structure 3 includes immediately inside the edge part 4 a downwards-directed bracing shape 8. This keeps the cover structure 3 and the edge part 4 braced and thus ensures the firmness of the attachment part in the edge part 4.

In an embodiment where the cylindrical side part attaches to the cover structure 3 without the reducing collar 2, the impression 7 comes on the side part as directed inwards immediately below the annular edge part 4 at the point of the hole 6. 

1. A method for forming an inwards-directed impression (7) in a beverage can (1) or an equivalent openable beverage container, which comprises a bottom part, a cylindrical side part and an annular cover structure (3), whereby said side part is attached to the cover structure (3) either via a reducing collar (2) formed at the upper end of the side part or without a reducing collar and said cover structure (3) contains an openable hole (6) for pouring the contents out of the can or for drinking the contents from said can directly and whereby said impression is formed in said collar (2) at the point of the hole (6) in the cover structure (3) without substantially damaging the cover structure (3) to form in the beverage can (1) both a pouring spout and a shape improving the drinking event, characterised by manufacturing the impression (7) to the collar (2) either by directed compression or a directed punch to the edge part (4) of the cover structure and that the impression (7) is made to the collar (2) or the top edge of the cylindrical part after the beverage can (1) has been filled.
 2. A method according to claim 1, characterised by extending depth of the impression (7) towards a centre line (L) of the can (1) at least for the distance of a radius (R) of the edge part (4) included in the cover structure (3) from said centre line (L). 